Heel cutter



A ril 22, 1930. H. E. WILLS 1,755,856

HEEL CUTTER Filed May 29, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 R Q w April 22, 1930. H. E. WILLS. 1,755,856

HEEL CUTTER Filed May 29, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 22, 1930; H. E. wlLLs 5,8

HEEL CUTTER Filed May 29, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr; 22, 1930 HARRY E. wrnrsor NORTH Bitoox r' ELn; MAssAcHUsEr'rs V HEEL CUTTE Application. filed May 29,1925. Serial No. 33,790.

At the present time there is a type of shoe which has a beveled spring heel usually made of crepe rubber, so called, the front edge or breast of the heel having [a beveled edge so' that the sole not being especially thick merges into the heel which in itself is prising a single lift.

Hitherto blanks for such heels have been cut in somewhat oval shape, each blank comprising material for two heels. The blank is then cut in halves formingithetwo heel Iifts, but as the front edge or breastof the finished heel is to be beveled, a further trimming .is given to. it to secure the necessary bevel, thus wasting a considerable amount of material. i I Y My invention comprises a machine which will out a blank shaped to form two heels in such manner that when out each lift will have a positively shaped breast or edge without any waste;

My invention will be understood byreference to the drawings in which it is shown in its preferred form.- V

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a machine embodying my invention in its preferred form. i

Fig. 2 is a plan, viewing themachine in the directionof the arrow 2 in Fig. 1, certain parts of the machine being omitted. 1

Fig. 3 is a similar'view looking toward the machine in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1. I i

Fig. 4 shows in section xa detail of construction, and r Fig. 5 shows also a detail of construction, and to both of whichdetails reference will later be made.

In my Letters Patentof the United States for trimming machines for rubber goods, No.

1,577,508 of March 23,1926, 1- have shown therein means for operating a circular cutter 120. A is a housing enclosing and supporting the cutter-operating mechanism, etc'. which 5 may be similar to that shown in my said patent.

1 1 is a sleeve projecting from the housing and containing within it a shaft 2 which may be rotated in any convenient way and to which is attached a cutter 3 by any suitable quite low commean-s As shown, the end of the sleeve 1; co-operates with a collar 4 attached to the shaft 2,- these parts being arranged-as shown to provide for the use of ball bearings 5, and togassist in keeping the. shaft'centered in the sleeve. L p

. Fromeach'sid'e of the base of the housing project arms 6 to whichis hinged at 71a table 7 0n the under side of the table is a socket piece 8 in which is carried the enlarged end 9 of a screw 10 which screw passes up through'a suitable threadedbearing 11 in a cross bar connecting the arms 6, the purpose of this construction being to enable the angle of the table 7 to the cutter 3 to be easily adjusted, if desired. On the table 7 are mounted two guide rods 12 each of which is fixedly attached to the table 7 by screws 13. These rods may be of any convenient length suflicient for the purpose. ()n these rods is mounted a carrier or work plate 14 bymeans of suitable slide grips 15 of such character as to hold the carrier; 14 firmly in position with relation to the table 7 and yet allow the carrier to be easily moved longitudinally of the rods as occasion requires. The carrier has in it a cavity as at 141 so that when the table is properly placed With regard to the cutter the cutter will extend into the cavity 141.

Arranged'upon the carrier or workplate 14 is a gauge 16 against which the ends of, the heelblanks have hearing when applied to the work plate. The gauge assists in positioning blanks thereon to be cutpreparatory to clamping the blanks to; the plate. The

gauge is adjustable on parallel lines toward and away'from the line of cut whereby the position of'the. work may be adjusted on the Work plate with relation to the cutter; Ar-

ranged also upon-the work'plate and'fixed to it is a bar 17. This bar extends in a direction at right angles to the line of cut and serves as a side gauge for the-blanks. {The bar 17 provides also a mounting for the gauge 16 which is shaped to slide thereon for adjustably positioning it as aforesaid. The bar "17 and work plate are provided with a slot 'l71 "in them, and the gauge 16 is se cured to the bar and work plate in any ad Q justed position by means of a bolt and nut fastening 18 which extends through the slot 171. 7

The heel blank is clamped to the work plate 14 by means of a clamp 19. This clamp comprises a plate pivotally mounted. as at 231 to a lever 23 which is hinged at oneend to A ends engaging the gauge 16, their sides engag- 7 ing the bar-forming'gauge 17, and the blanks being clamped against the work plate 14 by means of the clamp 19. It will be noted that when the blanks are in place as shown in Fig. 3 the handle 23 has been pressed down and the latch 24 catches under the beveled edge of the work plate 14. The adjustment of the hinge piece is desirable to provide for cutting blanks of different thicknesses. When it is desired to release the blanks the handle 26. is pulledupward to disengage the latch24 from the work plate 14. The blanks may then be freed.

In operation the table 7 is first adjusted to a present the work to the cutter at the proper angle, say degrees, substantially as shown in Fig. 1. When the same kind of work is to be cloneconstantly the table may be fixedly mounted with relation to the cutter, no adj ustment of its angle being provided. The work is then clamped in place having first been properly died out from the rubber sheet and, the cutter being rotated, the work plate is caused to travel by hand or otherwise along the rods 12 so that the blanks are properly fed consecutively to the rotating cutter to be cut thereby. It will be seen that the cutter will divide each blank into two heel lifts which when placed with the corresponding faces uppermost will be identical in shape and ready for use, thus performing by one operation what hitherto has required at least two operations, viz: the cutting of each blank into two pieces and then properly beveling one of its edges.

' So far as I know this method of making heel lifts is new with me, viz: first cutting out from the sheet of rubber a blank of I proper shape to form two heel lifts and then by the one diagonal cut through saidblank dividing it into two heel lifts each of which has a beveled edge of the same angle.

I do not mean to confine myself to a machine constructed precisely as indicated in the drawings as modifications thereofmay be made which will fall within the terms of my invention.

In the drawings a machine for supporting two blanks only at a time is shown, but the carrier plate may be made as long as convenient and more than two heel blanks clamped thereto and presented to the cutter for cutting, as will be readily understood.

What I claim as my invention 1. In a machineof the kind described, a cutter, a work plate, means for clamping the work to said work plate, means for supporting said work plate whereby it may be moved laterally, and the work borne by it moved onto said cutter, and means for supporting said work plate at'anangle to said cutter whereby the work will be separated by said cutter into two parts having similar beveled edges. a

2. In a machine of the kind described, a cutter, a table,a pair of guide rods mounted thereon, and a work plate mounted to slide on said guide rods, said table being hingedly mounted at one edge, and means for adjusting the table about its hinged mounting whereby the angle at which the work carried by said work plate maybe presented to said cutter is adjusted. V

3. In a machine of the kind described, a plate to support the work, a hinge piece fixedly attached to one edge thereof and adjustable in height, a lever hinged'to said hinge piece, a clamp pivotally connected to said lever, and a latch also pivotally connected to said lever near its free end and adapted to engage said work plate whereby when work is in position saidclamp may be rendered efiective'to hold the work in place.

4. In a machine of the kind described adapted to cut a plurality of blanks, said machine having a cutter, a'work plate adapted to be moved in the plane of said cutter, said work plate having a bar fixed thereto at rightangles to the line of movement of said work plate and adapted to engage one side of each piece of work, a gauge to support one end. of each piece ofwork, said gauge being adjustable toward and away from the line of cut whereby the position of the work may be adjusted on the work plate with relation to the cutter, and means for clamping the work to the work plate.

5. In a machine of the kind described, a

work table having a bar mounted thereon adapted to serve as aside gauge for blanks and an adjustable gauge also mounted thereon at right angles to said-bar and having a recess the sides ofwhich engage said bar whereby said gauge may be maintained in fixed angular position with relation thereto in combination with means for holding one or more blanks in position on said work table and against said gauge.

- H HARRY E. WILLS. 

